Cape Town – He is a visionary who has created over 50 employment opportunities in a poverty-stricken township that is slowly rising to be a said “middle-class suburb”, as it strives to offer premium lifestyle experiences.
Meet Siphelo Jalivane, the shrewd businessman behind the luxurious dining establishment, The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar in Khayelitsha.
The Milk Restaurant & Champagne Bar is a lavish wine and dining boutique which serves quality signature dishes for curious palettes.
It offers a wide range of fine cuisines like succulent T-bone steaks, grilled to perfection by professional culinary experts, sticky pork ribs that are flame-grilled to perfection, and the scrumptious and most delectable Eggs Benedict across the variety of their offered menu.
“The establishment offers a three-story multilayered floor plan,” says Jalivane.
Financial woes
“The ground floor is a full-time liquor store with a separate entrance to the restaurant and champagne bar, offering a wide variety of top-of-the-range premium alcoholic beverages for off-site consumption.
“The restaurant is on the first floor with a primary focus on fine dining experiences. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner while seated in modern up-to-date and stylish furniture with velvet influences.
“Our rooftop offers an overview of Khayelitsha’s landscape – designed with the high-end clientele in mind,” he says.
The establishment was initially launched in 2018 as The Milk Restaurant & Bar but took a hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic which affected a multitude of enterprises worldwide – as they saw their resources dry up.
Asked about how this has affected his business, Jalivane says:
“I was in financial woes,”
“I opened the business too soon. I was in a rush and wanted to get it off the ground, not knowing the challenges I would face with infrastructure.”
Great opportunity
He says, in retrospect, the lockdown forced him to sit down and ponder the reality of the situation.
Now, he has partnered up with two business giant greats, Mfundo and Mshayi Mbeki, sibling brothers who established their own premium outdoor fine-dining experience in the area – Rands – which is adjacent to The Milk and Champagne Bar.
“This is a great opportunity to show what we can do when we work together as brothers, helping each other grow in business,” Mfundo and Mshayi say when asked about their partnership with Jalivane.
Jalivane grew up as a typical township boy in Langa before he relocated to Khayelitsha.
He is a man who came from humble beginnings, and went on to be featured in high-profile fashion magazines like GQ. He has also been interviewed on the biggest radio stations, like the urban radio station Metro FM – which garners millions of listeners on a daily basis.
“No matter where you’re from, your dreams are valid.” These, he says are the words that have shaped him, as he quotes the iconic actress, Lupita Nyong’o.
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Picture: Twitter/ Siphelo Jalivane
Compiled by Odwa Shumi
